Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008 - (Page 9)

www.homemediamagazine.com ELECTRONIC DELIVERY BRIEFS I JAMAN GETS BBC FILMS Jaman.com, a Web site for global and independent video, has acquired for online distribution a collection of ﬁlms from BBC Worldwide America. Titles include Abortion Ship, Dowry Lane, Face to Face With Sir Ian McKellen, Nervous Energy – Billy Gil and When I’m 64. CinemaNow, Technicolor Offer Digital Delivery to Third Parties By Erik Gruenwedel inemaNow and Technicolor have partnered to offer content and technical support to third-party Web sites that sell movies, episodic television and music downloads. Under the deal, CinemaNow will make available its catalog of more than 10,000 movies, while Technicolor — through its electronic distribution service unit — will provide encoding, digital rights management, hosting, storage and order fulfillment, among other options, for downloading and streaming via a broadband connection. C I STREAMING NETWORKS, NXP LAUNCH IRECORD PRO Streaming Networks and NXP Semiconductors debuted a personal media recorder that allows the easy transfer of video content to portable media players at last week’s National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas. The iRecord Pro hooks up via standard audio/video connections to any source such as a TV, set-top box, digital video recorder, camcorder or DVD player. Then with the touch of a button, it records AV content directly onto a portable player, USB ﬂash drive, PC or Mac through a – Kyra Kudick USB connection. “The partnership will bring together and unify two major pieces of a traditionally fragmented solution,” said Scott Dougall, SVP and GM of Technicolor EDS. Technicolor EDS was formed in 2007 to provide Internet-based connectivity to packaged media, including Blu-ray. Founded in 1999, CinemaNow has content agreements with more than 250 licensors, including 20th Century Fox, ABC News, Disney, HDNet, Lionsgate, MGM, Miramax, NBC Universal, New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Sundance Channel and Warner Bros. The company earlier this year partnered with TAVI to offer a customized video player, whereby subscribers can view CinemaNow’s offerings. The two companies also will collaborate on special projects including adding high-def movies to CinemaNow’s library available via embedded stores and consumer electronic devices. The partnership also will let CinemaNow expand internationally, leveraging Technicolor’s digital supply chain services, including preparing movies with subtitles and foreign-language audio tracks. Fox Bows ‘Juno’ on DVD On Same Day as iTunes By Erik Gruenwedel alling it the most widely available home entertainment release ever, 20th Century Fox April 15 bowed Juno on Apple’s iTunes the same day as the DVD and Blu-ray releases. The studio, with Lionsgate and Sony Pictures, has ramped up efforts to include a digital copy with the DVD. The Oscar-winning film is available on iTunes for $14.99 and can be viewed on a PC, Mac, iPod, iPhone or Apple TV. The movie will be available on iTunes Movie Rentals beginning May 14. A separate release, Juno B-Sides: REPORT: CONSUMERS WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR HIGH-DEF VIDEO-ON-DEMAND By Erik Gruenwedel I NPD: AMAZON SPURS MP3 MARKET Amazon’s DRM-free MP3 music service has moved up to No. 2 behind Apple’s iTunes, according to The NPD Group. Amazon’s service touts downloads without digital rights management restrictions, a higher bit rate, as well as a price-per-download that is often lower than iTunes, according to NPD. Apple iTunes digital music sales continue to be the market dominator, with unit revenue 10 times larger than Amazon’s – Erik Gruenwedel service. C Almost Adopted Songs, a follow-up soundtrack, also is available on iTunes for $9.99. The DVD retails for $29.98 and includes a slew of special features — not found on iTunes — including 11 deleted scenes, a gag reel, gag take, cast and crew jam, and screen tests. A two-disc DVD release ($34.98) includes a digital copy, the aforementioned special features and four additional featurettes. The Blu-ray release ($39.98) also includes a standard-definition digital copy, previously mentioned special features and “Fox Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere and Casting Session.” onsumers are more likely to pay a premium for high-definition videoon-demand and Web-based movie rentals when released the same day as DVD, according to a new report. Based on a study of 2,000 consumers, consulting firm Oliver Wyman said respondents would pay from $7 to $9 to rent HD VOD movies and $5 more for digital downloads if the files could be played on multiple devices, burned to a disc and stored online. Until that happens, consumers prefer renting movies online. Closing the release window between DVD and VOD, coupled with HD and increased functionality for digital files, could represent a $5 billion increase in net annual domestic movie spending based on current C $3.99 pricing for standard DVD and VOD movie rentals, the study said. Wyman said combined annual U.S. movie spending is $50 billion, including $28.7 billion on DVD. The study said consumers prefer DVD to digital download when buying a movie, but might be more open to purchasing online if they felt digital files were secure and could be burned to a disc. Wyman said same-day HD VOD and Internet rental would have a marginal impact on DVD sales. Indeed, the report suggested retailers could charge a $2 premium for DVDs that included a digital copy playable on other devices. Ongoing tests by cable TV operators and studios on the effect same-day VOD and DVD releases have on packaged media sales have found DVD sales actually go up. TOP 5 RANK TITLE E LE C T R O NI C SELLT H R OUG H Week ended April 12, 2008 RELEASE DATE VIDEO LABEL GENRE TOP 5 RANK TITLE E L E C TRO N I C S E L L THRO U GH Week ended April 13, 2008 RELEASE DATE VIDEO LABEL GENRE 1 2 3 4 5 There Will Be Blood Alvin and the Chipmunks The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep I Am Legend Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story 4/8/08 4/1/08 4/8/08 3/18/08 4/8/08 Paramount Fox Sony Pictures Warner Sony Pictures Drama Family Fantasy Sci-Fi Comedy Source: Movielink 1 2 3 4 5 There Will Be Blood Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Justice League: The New Frontier I Am Legend Alvin and the Chipmunks 4/8/08 4/8/08 2/26/08 3/18/08 4/1/08 Paramount Sony Pictures Warner Warner Fox Drama Comedy Animated Sci-Fi Family Source: CinemaNow TOP 5 RANK TITLE E LE CT R O NIC D OW NLOAD S Week ended April 12, 2008 RELEASE DATE VIDEO LABEL GENRE TOP 5 RANK TITLE E L E C TRO N I C DO WN L O A DS Week ended April 13, 2008 RELEASE DATE VIDEO LABEL GENRE 1 2 3 4 5 Hitman American Gangster Beowulf Stargate: The Ark of Truth 30 Days of Night 4/9/08 4/3/08 4/11/08 4/10/08 4/11/08 Fox Universal Paramount Fox/MGM Sony Pictures Action Drama Fantasy Sci-Fi Horror Source: Movielink 1 2 3 4 5 No Country for Old Men American Gangster Hitman 30 Days of Night Into the Wild 4/10/08 4/3/08 4/9/08 4/11/08 3/28/08 Disney/Miramax Universal Fox Sony Pictures Paramount Drama Drama Action Horror Drama Source: CinemaNow April 20–26, 2008 Home Media Magazine 9 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008

Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008 Contents News Commentary TV DVD Horror Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - April 20-26, 2008

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